Locked In, Locked Out
by damoisella
Summary: Even if it’s dark, you only need to reach out for the other person, and they’ll be there.


Disclaimer: Me, owning them? Wouldn't dream of it!

Author's Notes: This is somewhat of a strange one. Fluff, but not quite. Semi-fluff, perhaps? If that genre doesn't already exist, it does now. clears throat

Enjoy, and if you can be bothered, feedback is as welcome as a vote is to Bush. :)

Summary: Even if it's dark, you only need to reach out for the other person, and they'll be there.

* * *

Locked In, Locked Out.

The sun was in the midst of setting, its weakening rays turning the normally blue sky into streaks of pink, orange, and purple. It was a spectacular night, with hardly more than a wisp of cloud, yet Mount Thomas' police officers were oblivious to it and everything else outside.

Engrossed in their work, the officers did not care whether there was a full moon, hail or a snowstorm beyond their front door. All they cared about was getting their respective paperwork done, so they could finally retire for the night, before getting up for work the next morning and doing it again. So the routine went for all of them – with the odd exceptions – to the point where they stopped looking at the time, and ceased means of verbal communication. If one officer finished and left, the others barely noticed. If they did, they would sigh to themselves, and continue to plough through the reports they were obliged to write.

The sun had finally lowered under the horizon, and still the weary officers worked, the detectives in and out of their office. All but the two probationary constables, who had been excused from the daunting and tedious tasks that often reached late into the night.

The shrill ring of the phone startled the rest of the officers out from their work bubbles, and back into reality. Ben reached for the phone closest to him, allowing himself to sit back in his chair, even if for a moment.

"Mount Thomas Police, Sergeant Stewart speaking."

The others looked up, if only for the distraction. It broke the air of intense work and focus, and they too allowed themselves to relax slightly as they listened.

"- Alright, thank you for your concern." Ben replaced the receiver in its cradle. "Report of a disturbance in the public toilets, bottom of Churnsdale Reserve. Jonesy, Susie," he directed with a meaningful nod.

The two constables obligingly got up, Evan stretching his arms behind his head as he did.

"S'lucky that we were working late, or else there wouldn't have been much of a response," he muttered once they were outside, the sky finally an inky black.

"Or unlucky for us, depending on which way you look at it," Susie replied, climbing into the drivers' seat of their patrol car sticking the keys in the ignition. He merely nodded, not bothering to answer.

The car trip was silent, yet neither seemed to mind. On the contrary, both were glad not making conversation about nothing in particular. It seemed as though quite a few of these car trips seemed quiet, Susie mused. At times they were tersely taciturn, both preferring to gaze out the windows rather than indulge in conversation; usually if one had annoyed the other in some way. Other times, they teased each other, or became humorously sarcastic, doing their best to rile the other up like in a game – actually, the latter didn't seem to happen very often. Nothing that they used to be happened very often.

Still, it was his call, Susie thought definitely to herself. She had made it clear that she was not seeing Ben any more – not that she ever really was, she reminded herself – and after the 'Donna fiasco', as she referred it to, the next move was his, so to speak. If they just went back to being mates, then so be it – she just wanted to know. Anything was better than mutual acquaintances.

Parking the car at the edge of the park, she stole a quick glance over at him, before climbing out of the car. The wind was colder than she had remembered it ten minutes ago when they had left the station; it hit her exposed skin like small, sharp needles. She wrapped her arms around herself, and turned to her colleague questioningly.

"Down there, from what I remember," Evan replied to her unasked query, pointing west. Susie gritted her teeth with chill and nodded, only too happy to follow for once.

"God, it's cold," he muttered as they traipsed through the darkened park, shoving his bare hands deep into his jacket pockets.

"Bloody cold," she agreed, her breath coming out as faint wisps of smoke. "So where are these toi-" she began to ask when he stopped.

"Can you hear that?" he asked.

She stopped and listened. There was no doubt about it; there was definitely some sort of noise coming from the distance.

"Sounds like whining," she remarked. "Animal, do you reckon?"

"Dunno," he shrugged. "Do you think this was the 'disturbance' reported?"

"Whether it is or not, we better check it out," she said firmly. "How far are these toilets anyway?"

"Just behind those trees over there, I think," Evan replied.

"I thought this was a small park."

"It's a long, narrow one, and we've nearly walked the distance of it."

"Of all the days to walk Churnsdale Reserve, we have to choose this one," she muttered through gritted teeth.

"You're the one who parked the car, not me," he said half-defensively, half trying to see how on edge she really was.

"You should have directed me," she retorted. "In fact, you probably didn't say anything deliberately, just so we had to walk."

"Sure, Suse, I just love walking through parks on freezing cold nights," he said sarcastically, his toes growing numb inside his boots. She didn't dignify that with an answer.

Half a minute later, the very simple brick toilet block came into view. The whining only grew louder as the two police officers approached.

They glanced at each other questioningly. "Mount Thomas Police, is there anyone there?" The noise, now obviously human, continued.

"Police," Susie repeated, "Can you hear us?"

"It's no good, they probably can't answer us," Evan said quietly, shaking his head and starting to head inside. Susie instinctively caught his arm. He turned back, surprised. "What?"

"It's just -" she hesitated. "Ah, nothing," she muttered back. She allowed herself to follow him inside the men's block.

It was small, enclosed. Four walls and a roof, all brick and corrugated iron. There was a small metal grate, providing an almost jail-like window of which almost no light could feebly trickle through. Yet no sign of any living existence, animal or human.

"What -?" Susie whispered, when the metal door behind them began to creak.

"Shit," Evan hissed, racing back towards the closing door, slamming into it as it clanged shut. There was the sound of the lock sliding across, and several pairs of footsteps pounding away on the path, amidst laughter.

"Damn," he swore, rubbing his hip where he had bumped it against the door. "Bloody kids." He took his radio out and held it to his mouth. "Mount Thomas 208 to Mount Thomas 500." No sounds erupted from it, not even a hint of static. He clicked the button, and tried again to no avail.

"You must've damaged it when you crashed into the door," Susie stated matter-of-factly as she got her own radio out.

"Let me use yours," he replied, stepping towards her with his hand out.

"Jonesy, I'm fully capable of using my own radio," she snapped back, turning away, and wrenching her wrist out of his grip. "Damn!" she exclaimed, her radio dropping into darkness with a clutter.

"Oh, great," he spoke up, "You can't see a bloody thing in here."

"Hang on," she ordered, bending down and feeling around her. The ground was dirty and damp, and she quickly withdrew her hand. "Oh, gross," she muttered, wiping it on her jacket.

"Found it?"

"Why don't you try putting your hand on the utterly disgusting ground, with God-knows what on it," she replied scathingly, obviously annoyed, yet also trying to hide her feeling of humiliation at dropping her radio in such a ridiculous manner.

"No thanks," he replied, sounding no better.

She felt her foot on the ground around her. It made contact with nothing. "Well, what do we do now?" she demanded, giving up a minute later, as if Evan should come up with all the ideas.

"Guess we'll have to wait until it's lighter so we can see."

"Great." She threw her hands up unbelievably. "I can't believe I'm stuck in a men's toilet."

"A story for the grandkids," he quipped, to see her reaction. Not that he could really see in the first place. She was more of a dull grey outline.

Yet, despite herself, she smiled. She couldn't help it. She wasn't sure if it was because of what he said, or the situation they were in, or even both. 'Try and find the funny sides of things', she remembered her mother saying to her, years ago when she was at the academy.

Evan couldn't see the smile, but he felt a certain amount of warmth coming from her; even just a lack of the snappy attitude she had adopted moments ago.

"Wait till the others hear about this," he added with a snort.

"Uh, hang on a minute," she interrupted quickly. "One, you are not going to be prancing around the station tomorrow morning with this; two, it's nothing to be proud of."

"Oh, come on Suse, as if they're not going to find out anyway."

"They don't have to know every detail."

"Like you dropping your radio?"

She gave a glare that lost its meaning in the darkness. "You're not going to let that one go, are you?"

"Not for a while, no."

He was smirking, she could tell. Goddammit, he was enjoying this!

"Anyway," she added huffily, "when we don't report back from duty, they'll wonder where we are and come looking."

"At this time of night?"

"Just the same as any other time, Jonesy," she replied severely. Feeling decidedly uncomfortable, she scuffed her heel on the ground. "Wish there was somewhere to sit down."

"How about one of the toilets?" he suggested, a hint of impishness detectable in his voice.

"I don't think so."

"What? You asked!" he said defensively.

"Do you know how many germs there would be?" she demanded, cringing at the thought.

"Since when have you been obsessively compulsive about that?"

"Jonesy, beg my pardon, but I do not like the thought of a million germs on something I'm going to sit on!"

"Probably more than a million," he muttered under his breath. Susie heard, but feeling fairly annoyed, she decided to ignore him. In contrast, he didn't seem too disturbed about their situation. Not very happy, admittedly, but he felt a grin creep up his cold cheeks as he riled her up. He had forgotten how much fun it could be to annoy a colleague. Back in the old days... He shook his head at the memories.

Still, he thought, it would be good to sit down. He didn't fancy the idea of standing for hours on end until Ben or Mark realised they were 'missing'.

He hesitantly reached to feel the ground beneath him. Echoes of Susie's disgusted exclamations rang through his mind, but the concrete didn't seem to be damp around this side.

He slowly sat down, releasing a sigh of contentment, despite the brick wall behind him feeling like ice. Hearing him from her side of the building, Susie frowned. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Resting my feet," came the simple reply.

"Oh, Jonesy, the ground is revolting!"

"Not over here it isn't."

She paused. "You sure?"

"Mmm-hmm. You can sit down too if you want."

Another pause. "If this is one of your hilarious jokes again, then you're -"

"Fine. Do what you like."

Susie's mind was relenting. She was cold, she was tired, and all she wanted to do was sit down. Standing for hours straight was not a welcoming thought. With a dubious sigh, she felt her way across the dark room, carefully patting the ground. Satisfied, she sank down next to her colleague.

"Told ya."

"Told me what?"

"Told ya it wasn't wet over here."

"Yeah, righto," she muttered, surrendering.

There was silence, Susie waiting for him to speak first, and Evan waiting for her to speak first.

"How long do you reckon -" she began when he started, "So how are you going with -"

They stopped simultaneously. "You first," she said.

"No, you go."

"How long do you reckon till they'll come?" she asked, resting her head on the wall behind her.

"God knows. Morning, probably."

"Tonight?"

He scoffed. "As if they could be bothered. They've all probably gone home now."

"They would have tried to raise us by now."

"And if they had, we would have heard, and we would have known where your radio was."

"You make it sound as though it was all my fault," she accused, knowing she was acting slightly unfairly.

It seemed he agreed for once. "So it was all mine?"

"Well..." she struggled for an answer. "Not entirely," she finally admitted, albeit reluctantly.

"Why, thank you for the acknowledgement on your part, Constable."

"Hey," she protested with a light punch on his arm – she even had good aim in the dark, he thought to himself.

"What?"

"No rank calling as long as we're stuck in here," she said firmly. He agreed, and they lapsed into silence once more.

"Reckon it's about three degrees in here," Evan suddenly spoke. She wasn't sure if it was a question or a statement. Instead, she shrugged.

"I dunno."

"Maybe we should move around, to get us warmer."

"Or we should save our energy for daylight," Susie corrected.

He snorted. "When they find us, we'll be frozen stiff."

"I really feel like decking you again," she groaned in dismay.

He laughed scornfully. "I'd like to see you try. That wasn't even a gentle punch before."

It was Susie's turn to laugh. "I could injure you – or any other egotistical man – a lot more than you'd think. Want a demo?"

Despite his scorn, he privately felt that, if provoked, she really could give someone a bruise that would last for weeks. He found he didn't really want to be on the receiving end, especially in her current mood. "Nah, I'll pass. It wouldn't be fair, anyway, because you can't see your target."

She promptly responded by connecting her knuckles with his bicep. His police leather jacket cushioned most of the impact, but he felt that wasn't her hardest hit either.

"Did one of your brothers teach you how to do that?" he asked, diverting the attention over to her rather than himself.

"Oh, I pick up bits and pieces here and there," she replied cryptically.

"Bet they did."

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

She raised her arm again, but he was too quick and blocked her by putting a hand up, so her fist collided with his palm. His hand was surprisingly warm on contact, and Susie froze, no wanting to take it away, now the connection was there.

Slowly, almost giving her a chance to move away, he closed his hand to cover hers. "Geez, Suse, your hand's freezing."

"Well, it's cold," she said awkwardly, not moving. His hand was bigger than hers was, making it feel like it was a warm blanket covering her single hand.

Without really knowing what he was doing, Evan reached up and lightly touched her face with his other hand. It too was cold, and his touch made her cheek feel warm, if even just for a moment. He couldn't see her face, but he felt her smile and felt grateful he could do that.

"I thought you said you were cold," she said quietly a moment later.

"Well, I'm not cold when I have the company," he replied.

She wasn't sure whether to take it as a cheeky answer, or an admission. She decided on the latter, if only because it warmed her heart. "Jonesy..." she began hesitantly.

"Why did you get with Ben that day?" he interrupted, careful not to sound too accusing. It seemed so long ago now, yet so recently at the same time.

The question was inevitable, and Susie knew that. And as much as she didn't want to answer that, she knew she owed that much to him. She was grateful for the dark that shielded her eyes from scrutiny, yet she felt that he would know what she was thinking anyway. "Because – because he needed it. He was in such a state, and he needed someone... I guess I needed someone that day too."

He nodded mutely, although the movement was lost on her. He supposed he understood, but he didn't like it. Still, Susie had pushed Ben away, and made it clear that she did not want a relationship with her sergeant. That spoke more than enough words. She dared to ask the question that had been bugging her for weeks. "And Donna?"

His eyes filled with a look of regret, and a sigh which she could feel on her face. "I dunno... she was just there, I guess..."

"I had nothing to do with that, did I?"

He didn't answer for a moment, and Susie presumed he wasn't going to. However, eventually, he said, "Perhaps you did."

She sighed, and tilted her forehead forwards until it touched into his. It was like that saying that went: when one sense was lost, the others became more sensitive... she didn't need eyes to see him. "I guess we've both stuffed up along the way."

"I guess we have," he quietly agreed.

"Still..." she trailed off, and leant forwards slightly to meet his lips. Like his hands that still covered hers, they were warm, comforting...

Susie forgot she was sitting on the concrete ground of a public toilet in pitch black. She forgot she was cold, she forgot about Ben. Every thought that always seemed to matter, seeped from her mind in a trickle of thoughts. His kiss seemed to warm her quicker than any hot water bottle would.

From somewhere across the room, a crackle of a radio burst into life, filling the room to every corner. "Mount Thomas 350 to portable 200."

Reluctantly, the two constables pulled apart. Susie scrambled to her feet in search of the sound. Once again, the radio spoke. "Mount Thomas 350 to 200... Mount Thomas 200, do you receive me?"

Reaching her hand towards the noise, her fingers came into contact with something rectangle, and very solid. "Mount Thomas 200," she answered, clutching her retrieved radio to her mouth.

"Constables, where are you?" Mark's concerned voice was obvious.

She hesitated for a split second. "We're at the scene, Sergeant."

"You're still in Churnsdale Reserve? You left nearly two hours ago – what are you doing?"

Susie wasn't about to explain. "Look, Sarge, the disturbance was a false alarm – some kids playing games."

"So...?"

"Er, Sarge, we're stuck."

"Stuck?"

"They locked the door behind us." She cringed at how lame it made her and Evan sound. However, Mark decided to leave questions for later.

"So you're locked inside the toilets?"

"Yes."

He sighed on the other end. "Alright. I'll be over there as soon as I can."

"Copy that. Thanks."

"350 clear." Susie replaced her radio back onto her belt, securing it tightly. "Well, at least we get out of here now. I told you they wouldn't wait till morning," she added.

Evan chuckled. "It's a pity, in a way."

"You want to stay in this place any more than you have to?" She grinned to herself. "Ah well, you're most welcome to. I'll just go home to my nice bed -"

"On second thoughts..." he began, and she laughed.

"I suppose you're expecting an invitation now?"

"Do I get one?" he asked.

The question came to her like cold water being poured down her back. "Jonesy..." she began hesitantly.

He gave a deep, annoyed sigh. "Shit, I knew this would happen," he muttered.

Susie stopped what she was about to say. "What do you mean?"

"I knew that you would back off... women always do," he said angrily, the frustration aimed towards himself more than for her.

She didn't breathe from the metres she was from him. In one swift movement, she went over and crouched in front of him – she didn't know how she knew where he was; it was probably intuition, she mused. A hand seemed to wander up to touch the side of his face. "I wasn't going to say such a thing," she replied.

He lifted his hand to the one she was touching his face with, and held it. "So what were you going to say, then?"

"I was going to ask why the hell had we been so incredibly stupid," she said, and broke out into a smile he couldn't see. Growing serious, she gave a soft sigh. "I'd been fooling myself for so long."

"You weren't the only one," he answered honestly. They seemed like a moment frozen in time, and Susie didn't want to move a muscle.

A snap of a twig cracked outside. "Constables?" Mark's voice called.

Susie quickly stood. "Yeah, in here." Evan too stood up next to her, and gave her hand a quick squeeze.

The scraping of the lock moving made itself heard, and Mark stepped inside, a torch shining into their faces. They squinted, not used to the sudden light.

"Sorry." He moved the beam downwards. "Are you two alright?"

"We're fine," Evan replied.

"Sorry about this," Susie added.

"Ah well, these things happen," Mark said philosophically. "But geez, it's bloody freezing in here."

"Yeah, tell us about it," she said with a wry smile.

"Come on, let's get you out of here."

* * *

"What the hell happened?" came a chorus of officers, scattered around the station as the trio entered. Even the two probationary constables were there – in fact, it was probably Joss' voice that was the loudest out of them all.

"Well..." The two constables exchanged a somewhat embarrassed glance.

"Hey," Evan breathed in Susie's ear, standing behind her, "when you said they don't have to know every detail, you meant it, yeah?"

She grinned, much to the surprise of the rest of the team, who hadn't heard Evan's question. "I was deadly serious, and you better believe it."

"Good," he replied in a slightly louder tone. "You wouldn't want to be stupid now, would you?"

And it was then, that their fellow police officers of Mount Thomas decided that, somehow, they were never going to hear the constables' full story of their night.

ende

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